Hong Kong, China’s new border in the middle of Hong Kong

Par Lily Kuo - 3 mn

Taking charge The Mainland Port Area at West Kowloon station GETTY

The new Vibrant Express rail line and West Kowloon terminus brings the territory ever nearer to the mainland

Inside the new West Kowloon terminus, it’s hard to know where Hong Kong stops and China begins. A restaurant on one floor is technically on Hong Kong soil. Just below it, a duty-free shopping area belongs to neither government. Meanwhile, the VIP lounge i s Chinese territory. Outside the cavernous train station, the Chinese and Hong Kong flags fly side by side – with the red-andwhite Hong Kong flag set slightly lower.

This month, after more than eight years of construction, delays and debate, Hong Kong finally opened the Vibrant Express, an $11bn rail link connecting the city to mainland China in less than 25 minutes. Under a “colocation arrangement”, a part of West Kowloon station – around 105,000 square metres – has been leased to Beijing for what is a de facto Chinese border in the middle of Hong Kong....